NEWARK – Prudential Center was sold out Tuesday night, and it was pretty clear even before the opening faceoff that many Devils fans showed up to make sure Martin Brodeur received a proper sendoff just in case this was it.

Before and after the anthem, fans chanted, “Mar-tee, Mar-tee, Mar-tee.” There was more of the same during the game, and even after this 4-3 Devils victory over the Red Wings in which Stephen Gionta scored a last-minute goal.

"Pretty neat," said forward Adam Henrique, who scored the Devils' first goal, his fifth in four games.

When it was time to go home, thousands of fans hung around for a few more minutes, and immediately after Gionta gave a curtain call for being named the game’s No. 1 star, the remaining crowd starting singing, "We want Mar-tee, we want Mar-tee!”

"That just shows what kind of guy he is and what impact he's had on this franchise," Gionta said.

Jaromir Jagr joked that he thought everyone was “screaming Jagr.”

Sorry, Jaromir. This was all about Marty.

“Ah man!” Jagr said. “And I was so excited! Are you sure? Check the tape.”

Getting serious, Jagr addressed the hot topic of the day, Brodeur winning the night before the NHL’s trade deadline amid rumors the record-setting goalie could change teams for the first time at age 41.

“He still wants to win and still wants to play,” Jagr said. “I don’t think he’s ready to sit on the bench yet.

“I can speak only for myself: I would love to see him here, but I want him to be very happy. It doesn’t mean he isn’t happy. He is happy, but I know he’s going to be more happy the more he plays. Whatever happens, it’s fine with me. And I think he’s looking at it the same way.”

This Tuesday began with a New York Daily News report that the Devils and Minnesota Wild had agreed on a trade that was pending the approval of Brodeur, who has a no-move clause in his contract.

Devils GM Lou Lamoriello shot down the report with venom in an interview with NJ.com, then the Wild did it themselves Tuesday afternoon by instead making a trade with Edmonton for veteran goalie Ilya Bryzgalov.

Just in case this would be Brodeur's last game as a Devil, the remaining tickets were gobbled up Tuesday, and once inside the arena, fans responded by showing a lot of love to a player who has brought them three Stanley Cups.

"They were loud, especially at the beginning of the game,” said center Travis Zajac, who scored the Devils' third goal. "I'm sure (Devils fans) read the paper and all that, but they don't know what's going to happen. Neither do we.

"It’s nice to see he’s playing good hockey right now. It's nice to see him get another win, especially at home in front of the fans where he's done so much for this organization and this city. So I’m happy for him."